Veterans wait in pain after DEA policy
http://www.kxxv.com/story/28264005/veterans-wait-in-pain-after-dea-policy
CENTRAL TEXAS – In an effort to help curb out of control abuse of prescription pain medication, a new Drug Enforcement Agency policy is preventing veterans from getting pain medication on time, making for painful waits to see doctors.
The DEA established the policy in September 2014. It changes the classification of drugs containing the opioid hydrocodone, usually found in medications like Vicodin. The policy prohibits doctors, both inside and outside of the VA, from prescribing more than 28 days of hydrocodone medication without refills.
That ruling is forcing some veterans to run out of pain medication before they can see their doctor for a refill. With wait times for appointments at VA hospitals long, many veterans are without medication and in pain, sometimes for weeks on end.
“I don’t come across and say they’re habitually using or using incorrectly. If they need it, they need it,” Brandon McKinney at the Disabled American Veterans office said.
Veterans groups have said they would like to see the VA be more proactive about reminding veterans they need to come in before their medication runs out. But McKinney said veterans can also hold up their side of service.
“Each VA medical center has a patient advocate,” McKinney said. “That would be my first line of defense for them.”
McKinney and a spokesperson for the VA said veterans can reach their doctors and set up appointments sooner by using the online system MyHealthevet.com. McKinney said it cuts wait times to just days.
According to the Centers For Disease Control, prescription drug abuse is at an all time high, with related deaths exceeding heroine and cocaine. Medication containing hydrocodone are particularly addictive and law enforcement officials say they are often readily available.
“Within the last five years there’s been a big spike with pain killers,” said Cpt. Shawn Lippe. Lippe is a part of the Organized Crime Division for the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office.
News Channel 25 reached out to the VA and received the original release from 2014.
Filed under: General Problems
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Such BS….We’ve all seen the truely disgraceful, scandalous system the VA has become on the news. The veterans are being treated horribly. The fact they are not getting their pain meds has everything to do with the poor VA system and from what I”ve read of their supposed ability to temporarily utilitze any non-VA facilities in their community until the system is ‘fixed’ isnt any better than the VA itself. Perhaps the chronic pain civilians and the veterans could team up and become a much bigger squeak wheel for change.